The development of an analytical method for the direct determination of ultra trace content of aluminum in seawater by electrothermal atomization-laser excited atomic fluorescence (ETA-LEAF) using a pulsed Nd:Yag laser associated with an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and an intensified CCD (ICCD) camera is described. The good temporal reproducibility of the device and the fairly long lifetime of the selected Al radiation allowed optimization of the temporal parameters in the nanosecond range. After optimizing thermal and optical parameters, this potentiality allowed to reach a 100 fg detection limit (5 ng l-1). The method was developed within a multidisciplinary program involving chemical and physical applications, thereby demonstrating the versatility of the apparatus. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.